Advances in computing and communication technology have facilitated the growth of distributed computing. For example, processing and storage operations that were previously handled on a local basis have now moved to the “cloud.” An example of a cloud-computing solution may comprise at least one computing device (e.g., a server) accessible via a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN) like the Internet, a global area network (GAN), etc. Smaller applications of cloud computing may include individual users storing data in a cloud repository, executing applications from a cloud provider, etc. to leverage the ability to access the data or applications using a variety of devices from a variety of locations, for the security of having the data and/or applications stored in a remotely-situated redundant system, etc. Large scale applications of cloud computing may involve offloading the entire computing infrastructure for an enterprise to a secondary provider. As a result, the enterprise may continue to operate in as usual without having to maintain its own computing resources.
As the trend towards cloud computing continues to grow, the organization of cloud computing resources becomes more challenging. Large enterprises including, for example, businesses, educational institutions, governmental entities, medical provider networks, etc. have variable computing requirements. As these enterprises evolve, so do their computing needs. As a result, the resources used to support these various enterprises may be a mix of hundreds or even thousands of computing devices from various manufacturers, in various configurations, with various installation dates, in various facilities, etc. The configuration, installation, service life, etc. of a certain computing device may dictate its capabilities, and may make it more appropriate for performing certain tasks over others. Organizing such a large number and variety of computing devices into effective functional groups becomes a substantial computing task in itself, making it very difficult to leverage common capabilities.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.